Anyone heard/read anything negative about the TdF in London?

[yello]

Just wondering like. Not wishing to be a misery guts etc but all I have heard is glowing reports of how successful it all was. And from what I witnessed, I'd agree - I though it was brilliant. It can't have pleased everyone surely? There must at least be a WVM or some such that has had a rant.

 

[Haitch]

The two papers I read here in Holland were glowing in their reports: perfectly organised, good route and zillions of spectators. Most quotes from the riders (mainly Dutch) were also brimming over with praise.

All round, it left a very good impression on the Dutch journos, who can usually be a bit snooty about the UK and cycling.

 

[Smeggers]

I got sunburnt.

Lost me space, due to needing a drink.

Got ripped off 4 quid for a tiny smoothie.

Queued for 20 minutes to cross the bridge in Hyde Park.

BUT THOROUGHLY ENJOYED IT

 

[Trembler49]

It was brilliant, but the sheer numbers of people made things difficult.

The big screens were great!

 

[yello]

Oh yeah, that's right. I had a brilliant viewing space for the prologue... then an ambulance parked right in front of me and I had to move... to a better viewing place, though a somewhat more uncomfortable one!

 

[derall]

Same as Smeggers -

-forgot I'm going thin on top and sunburnt the top of my head

-got ripped off on the price of a burger

-the queue for the bridge

plus

-standing next to a ten-year-old kid and it appeared she'd been in training for the TdF for ages. I didn't manage to get any freebies from the publicity caravan because the kid was too fast for me and beat me to everything.

-engineering work on the Met Line made getting there and back a nightmare.

but apart from that it was a fantastic day and I wouldn't have missed it for anything. Thoroughly enjoyable. Congratulations to all involved in the organisation.

 

[ChrisKH]

Light bollards in the middle of the road didn't go down too well with the European riders I hear. But then, when in Rome (or London....)

 

[Brock]

I cycled to Canterbury to watch them come in. Had a nice spot on the inside of a bend to watch them woosh past. Was disappointed with my caravan freebies though.. Only managed to catch a Skoda hat (yay ), two Laughing Cow fridge magnets (oh.. Joy ) and a pair of those inflatable banger sausage thingies. TONK TONK TONK weeee! Good fun and great weather though.

 

[Gavin Gilbert]

Ditto the above - my only gripe was £14 for 2 foul tasting hotdogs and a bottle of Sprite.

On the otherhand we found a stall in the French Market selling 70cl bottles of water for 70p each. I tried explaining to the bemused Frenchman that we are used to being ripped off and he should double the price. I'm afraid he didn't get my Anglo-Saxon humour.

I did come across some plum in a Jag at the bottom of Park Lane arguing with a rozzer about not being allowed to drive around Hyde Park Corner

The only other downside I can think of was the Gendarmerie making the Met officers look like sacks of spuds in flo jackets. Why can't our police look that good?

 

[SamNichols]

On the day, just passing through Hyde park, I heard a french voice say: 'the organisation was fantastic' (in French obviously...), I think that's a pretty positive view from the owners of the race.

 

[gbb]

I'm thinking hard........no, cant knock it, it was brilliant
Yup, as Gavin says, the stylish Gendarmerie made our guys look like sacks of spuds

Yes, the queues at the bridges were ridiculous at times....but this is insignificant when you look at the whole event.

Fabulous.

 

[Aint Skeered]

It seems the main gripe from reading the above posts, is the quality of the food.
Christ,who in there right mind would buy a burger / hot dog from a street vendor, and expect it to taste good.
I watched the race in Tunbridge Wells, good atnosphere(apart from a couple of stroppy gits, who where stopped from crossing the road, by the police, as the tour Caravan was hurtling through at break neck speed)
We cycled over from Horsham, so a nice 75 mile round trip to boot.

 

[laurence]

i had a great time - even though the crepe stall ran out of savoury crepes just as i was near the front of the queue.

didn't use the bridges in the park... it was quicker to walk around to where the underpass is along the serpentine.

the blocking of the underpass to knightsbridge was a bit silly as it meant there was no easy way from inside the park to the west side of the course. instead i stayed in the park and found a good spot just as they came in. from there i could run to where they left, thus seeing the last four or five riders twice. there was also a big screen, so i saw the finish.

a friend of mine complained that the tubes were too busy because of the cycling as she was trying to get across town. she also bitched because she couldn't get to work on sunday in rochester because of the road closures and had to take the day as leave. i did point out she'd had nearly a year to make other arrangements. she hopes the race never returns as they shouldn't close the roads and inconvenience people! 4 million happy people, one miserable sod!

loved the french market... i stocked up on the biscuits/cakes and munched them during the prologue.

got several hats on sunday, some inflatable bangy things, a couple of fluro wristbands and several bottles of water. i also got hit on the head by a sealink pen that then bounced into the road! i already had three skoda hats when another landed at my feet, so i gave it to the man behind - who'd been hit on the head by a map of london a few minutes earlier! timing.

loved every second from the presentation until they removed the barriers at canterbury

 

[Mortiroloboy]

Ditto the above - my only gripe was £14 for 2 foul tasting hotdogs and a bottle of Sprite.

On the otherhand we found a stall in the French Market selling 70cl bottles of water for 70p each. I tried explaining to the bemused Frenchman that we are used to being ripped off and he should double the price. I'm afraid he didn't get my Anglo-Saxon humour.

I did come across some plum in a Jag at the bottom of Park Lane arguing with a rozzer about not being allowed to drive around Hyde Park Corner

The only other downside I can think of was the Gendarmerie making the Met officers look like sacks of spuds in flo jackets. Why can't our police look that good?

Funny that, my patrol partner said exactly the same thing, the Met Pol SEG bikers in their full face helmets, leathers, HV's sweating their
B0££0cks off! And the Gendarmerie in their short sleeved shirts Jodphurs and knee boots looking cool as cucumbers! or should that be cornichons?

 

[SamNichols]

For the prologue I camped out at the corner of constitution hill, about four foot from where Stuart O' Grady came off. I still can't work out why, but there was a couple of manhole covers just out of the corner. Burnt to a crisp though.

Stage 1 was spent in Matford, just past Tonbridge - a bit of a street party was going on, which was fun to be part of. An old lady did, however, remark: 'once in a lifetime? It's been through before.' i can't think of when(74?),but she seemed unpeturbed by the thousands hitting her village.

The whole weekend was spent in our camper van, in a Hop Farm (it was a cycing weekly deal). A pleasant weekend was had, and the van got several admiring glances as we brewed up on the roadside on stage 1. Good times - i hope we get it again.